Miscellaneous unorganized material/WJBF
Digital programming Its signal is multiplexed. It offers the Retro Television Network (RTV) on a second digital subchannel as well as Knology and Comcast digital channel 246. History WJBF, Augusta's first television station, started broadcasting on November 23, 1953 founded by local entrepreneur J'.'B. F'uqua. 2 It was originally a primary NBC affiliate with a secondary ABC affiliation. In 1968, WJBF became a primary ABC affiliate, relegating NBC to secondary status. Area CBS affiliate WRDW-TV aired whatever NBC shows WJBF turned down. This was very unusual for a (then) two-station market, especially one of Augusta's size. Usually ABC, as the smallest and weakest network at the time, was relegated to secondary status on the two existing stations. A likely reason for this arrangement is that channel 6's sister stations (WTVM in Columbus, WTVC in Chattanooga and KTHI-TV now KVLY-TV in Fargo) were all ABC affiliates. When WATU (now WAGT) began operations in December 1968, it was assumed that the NBC affiliation would fully go to the new station. However, NBC allowed WJBF and WRDW to continue to cherry-pick most of its program. WJBF kept airing both the ''Today and Tonight shows, among other programs) The failure of WATU to secure a full-time network affiliation caused that station to go dark in 1970. WJBF became a full ABC affiliate when WATU returned to the air in 1974, this time with a primary NBC affiliation. Fuqua sold off his stations in 1980, with WJBF going to Spartan Radiocasting of Spartanburg, South Carolina. Spartan was renamed Spartan Communications in 1995, and merged with Media General in 2000. In October 2009, the parent companies of WJBF and WAGT announced that they would enter into joint sales and shared services agreements in January 2010. This resulted in the two combining their news operations, sales and other operational services. It was later announced that WJBF would control all of WAGT's news and advertising operations while that station handles programming and the maintaining of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations. Most WAGT employees will be reassigned different positions including the layoffs of several managers. 3 Initially, that station will continue to be operated out of its Broad Street studios while WJBF expands its facilities. Once this is complete, WAGT will move to this station's studios. 4 News operation The WJBF news open seen nightly at 6.In the 1980s, its newscasts were branded NewsWatch 6. After being acquired by Spartan Radiocasting in 1992, WJBF and some other stations acquired by the company changed their branding to NewsChannel. This station and most of its sister affiliates still use this branding today after being acquired by Media General. In the 1990s, WJBF reached an agreement with the Augusta Mall to run a closed-circuit "Mall TV" feed on television screens throughout the mall featuring the day's news and coverage of some local special events. WJBF operated this service until the late-1990s. They also had a local agreement with Comcast to air a rebroadcast of the 6 p.m. show on the cable provider's channel 66. This arrangement ended in 2004 with the launch of a nightly 10 o'clock newscast on Fox affiliate WFXG. The production uses different graphics and duratrans concealing the WJBF logos. The launch came after its studios were renovated. As a result of WAGT becoming operated by WJBF, that station dropped its weekday Midday show in favor of weeknight prime time news at 7. Current WJBF weekend anchor Paige Tucker can also be seen anchoring weeknights on WAGT while serving as a reporter for both. Its reporting team can be seen in some news stories on the other station since the two now share video. WJBF will continue to produce the 10 p.m. news for WFXG. Newscast titles *''WJBF-TV News'' (1953-1964) *''Newscope'' (1964-1971) *''Eyewitness News'' (1971-1977) *''Action 6 News'' (1977-1982) *''NewsWatch 6'' (1982-1990) *''Channel 6 News'' (1990-1996) *''WJBF NewsChannel 6'' (1996-present) Station slogans *"Coverage You Can Count On" (1992-2008) *"The Station You Count On" (2008-present) News team + denotes personnel from WAGT '''Anchors *Mary Morrison - weekday mornings and noon *Jennie Montgomery - weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6, and 11 *Brad Means - weeknights at 5, 6, and 11 *Kimberely Scott - weeknights at 10 and reporter *Paige Tucker - weekends and reporter Live VIPIR 6 Meteorologists *George Myers - Chief seen weeknights *Matt Monroe - weekday mornings and Noon *John Lynn - weekends Sports *Chris Kane - Director seen weeknights at 6, 10, and 11 *John Hart - weekends and sports reporter *Merrisa Lynn - weekend sports anchor and reporter Reporters *+ Jonathan Davis - Associate Producer *George Eskola - Senior *Joy Howe - Aiken County, South Carolina *Fraendy Clervaud - fill-in news anchor *Barclay Bishop - weekend anchor and reporter *Archith Seshadri - reporter *Kaitlin Rayner - reporter *+ Ashley Campbell *+ Christine O'Donnell *+ Navideh Forghani *+ Liz Hill *+ Tina Terry Notable former staff *Shelia Adams, reporter (1983-1988) *Tim Brown, anchor/reporter (?-1998) *Stan Byrdy, sports anchor/reporter (1985-1995) *Chase Cain, reporter (2005-2006), now at WHAS-TV in Louisville, Kentucky *Tiffany Cochran Edwards, anchor/reporter (?, last seen at WXIA-TV), daughter of the late Johnnie Cochran (O.J. Simpson attorney) *Tony Cornish Jr., sports anchor (1994-1996, now at WMPR-FM) *Renita Crawford, reporter/substitute anchor *Chip Creamer, general assignment reporter (1997-2006, Now director of internet sales at rival WRDW-TV) *Patricia Crosby, anchor/reporter (1993-1995, now at WTLV/WJXX) *Marlin Willams, sports director (1996-2002), now at WLOV-TV in Tupelo, Mississippi *Barbara Dawson, weekend anchor/reporter (2002-2004, came from rival NBC station WAGT) *Noel Glasgow, weekend sports anchor (2002-2004) *Paul Herdtner, weekend anchor (1994-1996), now a Monday-Friday morning anchor at WDAF-TV, Kansas City, Missouri *Raphael James, anchor/reporter (?, now at WCSC-TV) *Tom Knight, meteorologist (late 1980s?-1995, later went to rival WAGT) *Michelle Lima, weekend anchor (1994-1996, deceased) *Dana Lynn McIntyre, general assignment reporter (1996-2005, now at WGCL-TV) *Emily Pantelides, general assignment reporter (2003-2006), now weekday anchor at WPEC in West Palm Beach, Florida *Peter Robbins, anchor/reporter (2003-2005), now in West Palm Beach, Florida *Tara Miller sports reporter/anchor (2006-2008), WXMI, Grand Rapids, Michigan *Terry Sams, anchor, entertainment personality, weather forecaster and general manager a.k.a "Trooper Terry" (1961-1992) *Crystal Styles, FOX 54 News at Ten anchor/reporter (2004-2005) *Jenna Susko, reporter (2006-2007), now Weekend Anchor/Weekday Reporter at WPMI-TV in Mobile, Alabama *Bob Young, anchor (1985-1998), became mayor of Augusta (1999-2005) *Sheryl Williams, anchor/reporter (2005-2007) *Renita Crawford, anchor/reporter (1993-2009) *Dave Hansen, anchor/reporter (2006-2007) *Jason Wheeler, anchor/assignment editor (1995-2000), now at Central Florida News 13, Orlando References #'^' The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says November 23, while the Television and Cable Factbook says November 22. #'^' [1] #'^' http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/12/30/bus_561276.shtml #'^' http://www2.wjbf.com/jbf/news/special_reports/article/wjbf_wagt_enter_into_partnership/28655/ External links *WJBF channel 42 *WJBF mobile *WAGT "NBC Augusta 26" *Query the FCC's TV station database for WJBF